1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hydrogel therapies for treating wounds wherein the hydrogel is employed as a humectant. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a therapeutic mask for treating wounds which result as part of a resurfacing procedure on a patient.
1. Related Art
There exist procedures and devices for treating wounds as a result of injury, ulceration, surgical incision, bums, paryngocutaneous fistulas or chemical burn of the skin. One known technique for treating and/or promoting healing of the skin employs the use of hydrogels which are multidimensional networks of hydrophillic polymers which interact with aqueous solutions to adsorb fluid exudate from the wound until reaching saturation or an equilibrium point. Such hydrogel therapies have included hydrogels made of polymers such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dimethyl oxide, dimethyl formamide, poly-2-hydroxyethelymethacrylate, to name a few, and have been useful in treating such wounds wherein the hydrogel also significantly serves as a pseudo-skin during the healing process.
Other approaches have included the use of elasto-gel compositions which include a blend of glycerine as the humectant and hydrophobic polymers. The glycerin exhibited desirable bacteriostatic properties. Still others have made wound dressings having a hydrocolloid with pectin or carboxymethyl cellulose. Heretofore, these adsorbing substances have included a backing sheet or film to which the adsorbing substance is applied.
The control of water removal or loss from the injured skin is of major importance in the healing process. A problem which exists with such hydrogels is the inability of maintaining proper fluid adsorption to facilitate the healing process. Also, heretofore there has been a lack of fashioning a suitable dressing to carry out certain applications of these type of hydrogels. In this regard, prolonged usage of a hydrogel dressing often exceeded the absorptive ability of the dressing resulting in leakage of exudate from the wound causing a break in the integrity of the dressing thus exposing the wound to infection.
There is a need for a suitable dressing which is capable of keeping a wound moist while absorbing excess wound exudates. It is also desirable that such hydrogel dressing be bacteriostatic and able to maintain growth factors in wound sites and modulate infectious reactions. Further, there is a need to have such dressing be self-sustaining in a position for a predetermined period of time, e.g., several days, and which is substantially non-traumatic to the wound upon removal.